Key messages

• Sustainable forest management curbs forest degradation and deforestation while increasing direct benefits to people and the environment.
• At the local level, sustainable forest management contributes to people's livelihoods, income generation and employment. At the environmental level, it contributes to, for example, carbon sequestration and water and soil conservation.
• In 2020, forests covered about 31 percent of the world's total land area; about 4.06 billion hectares.
• Forests contain more than half of the world's terrestrial biodiversity and store carbon in both above- and below-ground biomass.
• Total employment in the forest sector was estimated at 12.5 million people.
• The world’s forest area is decreasing, but the rate of loss has slowed. The world has lost 178 million ha of forest since 1990, which is an area about the size of Libya.
• Fire, forest pests and climate change are also contributing to loss of forests around the world.

Videos

Geya and the three forest pathways: Steps to a forest-led green recovery and inclusive, resilient and sustainable economies Forest pathways have the potential to provide decentralized solutions that are highly cost-effective and can be implemented comparatively rapidly and at scale. In this graphic animation, the fictional character of Geya, who works as scientific policy advisor to the prime minister of her country, explores ways how to implement forest-based pathways (protect – restore – sustainable use) as a basis for green recovery. [more]

Sustainable wood: Housing a growing population A growing population means more buildings to fit everyone. By 2030, we will have to house an additional 3 billion people. Using wood from sustainably managed forests means we can create homes that don’t cost us the Earth. [more]

 All sustainable forest management videos  

Publications

A guide to multiple-use forest management planning for small and medium forest enterprises 8 November 2023 This publication offers step-by-step guidance for planning how to take care of and use forests sustainably to meet specific environmental, economic, social and cultural objectives. It shows small and medium-scale forest managers how to address administrative, economic, legal, social, technical and scientific aspects of forest management, applying globally recognized standards. [more]

Traceability and transparency in supply chains for agricultural and forest commodities 20 October 2023 Without halting forest loss, the global community will not be able to meet climate targets. The overwhelming driver of forest loss today is associated with expansion of agricultural production. Traceability and transparency in supply chains for these products are therefore necessary to understand the impact of commodities on forests, and to support the design, implementation, and monitoring of effective solutions to address forest loss. This report was prepared by World Resources Institute, Efeca, and Kanopi Consulting with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [more]

 More publications 

Press releases and editorials

More press releases

Expert interviews

Can AI help to protect manage and restore forests? FAO’s Julian Fox discusses how AI can be a gamechanger in helping countries to monitor their forests and tackle illegal activities, in a fraction of the time it took before. [more]

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More expert interviews

Audio

How data helps protect our forests?
Hidden value of forests
 Taking action on halting and reversing deforestation - Interview with Peter Csoka, Senior Forestry Officer
Planning sustainable forests 
 Monitoring carbon stocks in Tanzania